USMS Long Course Nationals, Day Three: Japanese Olympian and US Trials Finalist Headline Fast Meet

PHOENIX, Arizona, August 16. MORE world records fell in the third day of competition at the United States Masters Swimming Long Course National Championships in Gresham, Ore., with US Olympic Trials finalist Gary Marshall providing the biggest fireworks of the day.

The day started with the men's 400 free. George Wendt continued his streak of record-breaking swims, taking down the national record in the 60-64 age group by 10 seconds. His time of 4:49.83 erased John Calvert's record of 4:59.08 and was 1.6 seconds slower than Graham Calvert's world record.

No other records were set in the men's 400 free, but Jeff Utsch of Arizona Masters made a run at Dennis Baker's record in the 40-44 age group of 4:12, swimming a 4:16.67. The top swim in the meet came from Christopher Derks, who was seven seconds off Rowdy Gaines' world record of 4:07.64 with a 4:14.65.

The Tamalpais team of Richard Burns, Kenneth Frost, Laura Val and Nancy Ridout reset their world record in the mixed 240-279 medley relay by seven tenths with a 2:13.23. One day after falling short of a world record in the 50 breast, Katie McClelland was able to help her Dallas Masters team set a world record in the mixed 120-159 medley relay, with a 1:54.81, erasing the Team Dash from Japan out of the record books. The host team came out of the mixed medley relay with a world record its own in the 280-319 age group. Led by a strong breaststroke leg by Ginger Pierson and Tom Landis' 31.53 fly leg, Oregon Masters swam a time of 2:34.68 to take down the San Diego Masters record of 2:38.61.

McClelland was back for the women's 100 breast, and once again could not surpass the world record of Hitomi Matsuda. Swimming a 1:13.29, McClelland reset her own national record but could not reach Matsuda's world record of 1:12.28.

Gary Marshall, who was a finalist in the 100 breast at the 2004 Olympic Trials and finished in the top 20 at this year's Trials, returned to Masters competition after more than a year away with a fury. Marshall, 26 years old and representing The Olympic Club, swam a 1:02.98 to win the event, but fell short of Christopher Jones' world record of 1:02.65. Jones, the Brit who was named one of Swimming World Magazine's top 10 masters swimmers this year, set his world record almost a year ago. On the plus side for Marshall, he was able to take down David Lundberg's 19-year-old national mark of 1:04.60.

David Guthrie set the 45-49 world record in the 100 breast at the Texas Senior Circuit meet in June with a 1:08.58, and lowered the time even further today with a blistering 1:07.38. Robert Strand was also able to lower his own world mark in the 60-64 age group with a 1:15.42, but saw Rick Colella of Pacific Northwest clip his national record in the 55-59 age group by five tenths with a 1:14.30.

The other national record came from Richard Todd in the 65-69 age group. Todd, representing Tuolumne County Aquatic Masters, took down Manuel Sanguily's 10-year-old record of 1:24.16 with a 1:22.82. With Strand just three years away from aging up to the 65-69 age group, Todd might not see his world record last as long.

Thirty seconds proved to be the elusive barrier in the women's 50 fly. Of all the women who put pressure on 29 seconds, 44-year-old Lisa Ward of Walnut Creek Masters and 46-year-old Arlene Delmage of Oregon Masters came close with a 30.02 and 30.04 respectively. Only Ruth Shaps of Manatee Aquatic Masters was able to secure a national mark, swimming a 33.88 in the 60-64 age group to take down Joy Ward's six-year-old record.

Kohei Kawamoto didn't' swim a best time in setting a world record in the men's 100 fly Friday, but came back today with a vengeance in the 50 fly. Kawamoto, swimming for Arizona Masters, reset his world record in the 25-29 age group with a sizzling 23.71. His former mark was a 24.48. Kawamoto's swim capped off an explosive men's 50 fly event, in which Paul Carter continued to dazzle and Paul Smith missed his third world record in as many tries.

Just as he did in the 100 fly, Carter demolished the 45-49 world record in the shorter distance with a 25.88. Carter, 51, again removed Trip Hedrick from the record books, whose 26.23 had stood for four years. On the flip side, Smith was just .16 off his own world record in the 45-49 age group with a still-impressive 26.06.

Keefe Lodwig of Woodlands Masters joined the party with a world record in a world record in the 65-69 age group with a 28.68, erasing the 30.33 formerly held by Tomoyasu Iida.

The women's 200 IM featured some blistering swims from some of Masters swimming's greatest. Jackie Marr set a national record in the 65-69 age group with a 3:13.33, erasing the 17-year-old record of 3:19.01 set by Clara Walker. Laura Val started the world record run in the event, breaking her own mark in the 55-59 age group with a 2:43.45 While Val was warming down from her race, Jenny Cook of Southern California Aquatics was taking down Val's world mark in the 50-54 age group with a 2:39.49.

Karlyn Pipes-Nielson took down another of her own marks, this time swimming a 2:27.57 in the 45-49 age group to drop her world mark by 1.3 seconds, a mark she set earlier this year.

As is becoming the case at this meet, swimmers are setting records in one age group, only to see a record they held in a younger age group fall. That distinction happened in the men's 200 IM for Rick Colella. After taking down Timothy Shead's four-month-old world record in the 55-59 age group with a 2:24.12, Colella's national mark in the 50-54 age group fell at the hands of Colorado Masters' Michael Mann, who blazed to a new world mark of 2:20.02, taking down Lorenza Marugo's world mark of 2:23.06.

Laura Val set a world mark one year ago in the 100 free in the 55-59 age group with a 1:02.02. Instead of breaking the record today, Val could only tie her record in Oregon. Francine Williamson of Georgia Masters set the new mark in the 60-64 age group with a 1:09.29, breaking Christel Schulz' mark of :10.29. Schulz will keep her world mark in the 65-69 age group, as Jackie Marr could only muster a national record with her 1:15.75. Marr broke a 16-year-old record that was held by Clara Walker.

Not to be outdone was 90-year-old Rita Simonton, breaking her second national record of the meet. Simonton swam a 2:04.76 to erase another record by Audrey Etienne.

In the men's 100 free, Keefe Lodwig was the only swimmer to log a world record with a 1:01.75 to take out Jeff Farrell's world mark and Tom Landis' national mark. Ross Davis, Paul Smith and Jack Groselle came within a second of breaking world records in their age groups. Davis is 42 years old and will have another opportunity to break Rich Saeger's mark, but Smith and Groselle will age up to new age groups next year.

Noriko Inada of Arizona Masters set the lone world record in the women's 50 backstroke, and was also the only swimmer under 30 seconds. Inada, who was fifth in the 100 backstroke at the 2000 Olympics, swam a 29.15 in the 30-34 age group to wipe out countrywoman's Nahomi Shirata's mark of 30.82.

In the men's 50 back, Yoshi Oyakawa of Ohio Masters set the lone world record, rewriting the mark in the 75-79 age group with a 36.54. Continuing with the theme of the day, Oyakawa had to say goodbye to his national mark in the 65-69 age group when Richard Burns swam a 33.08, shaving five tenths off Oyakawa's mark.

In the women's 200 free relay, Pacific Northwest Masters was the only team to secure a world record, setting a new mark in the 240-279 age group with a 2:13.33. The Fort Lauderdale Aquatics team set a national mark in the 72-99 age group with a 1:56.01.

Results from the men's 200 free relay were not available Saturday.

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